Machine for separating fiber from stalks.



No. semen. l Patented 1an. 7,1902.

s.. B. ALusoN.

MACHINE FORl SEPRATING FIBER FROM STVALKS.

(ApplicationA iled` Fe'bA 13, 1900.]

(No Manel.) 2 sheets-sheet a.

il s www" E iw l No. 690,8!7. Patented I an. 7, |902.

s. ALLlsoN.

MACHINE FOR SEPARAIING FIBER FROM STALKS.

(Application led Feb. 13, 1900,)

2 Sheets-Sheet- 2.`

fill-lll.-

UNITED STATES v PATENT FFICE.

sAMUEL B. ALLIsoN, or GALvEsToNgTExAs; o. A. DoRREsrEIVNADMIN- IsrRAToR or sAID ALLIsoN, DEcEAsnD.

MACHINE FOR SPARATING FIBER FROM STALKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,817, dated January 7, 1 902. Y

Application iiled February 13, 1960. Serial No. 5,101. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, SAMUEL B. ALLIsoN, a resident of Galveston, inthe county of Galveston and State of Texas, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Separating Fiber from Stalks and the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to machines for separatingiber from stalks and leaves of plants, such as ramie, flax, sisal, pineapple, and the like. Its object is t0 simplify the mechanism and increase the efticiency of such machines; and it consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly pointed out.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the improved machine. Fig, 2 is a partial vplan of a feed-belt, guiding knife-carrying roller, and a stalkilattening roller. Fig. 3 is a partial elevation of the guiding knife-carrying roller, the feeding-belt being indicated in. section. Fig. 4 comprises partial opposite plans of a scraping-blade with combing-pins. Fig. l5 is a perspective of a scrapingblade. Fig. 6 is a Ybroken plan of a roller-cleaning blade.

Numeral l denotes the frame of the machine, and 2 an endless grooved feed belt made of metal or other suitable material and driven by sprocket wheels or rollers 3 and 4. Roller 3 has suitable'bearings in said frame, and roller 4 is supported in a folding framesection, having a hinge connection at 5 with the main frame, and is adjustable in a vertical direction by means of a screw or screws 5X.

6 denotes grooves formed in the exterior of the belt, which register with and receive the rings or annular ianges 7 of a roller 8. The separate stalks are held and guided between said flanges 7, and fixed tothe roller are situated annular slitting-blades 9, which slit or split the upper side of the stalks and open them. A stalk-slit by said blades is denoted by 10. The stalks will be guided by and between the flanges 7 and under the rotating blades, which cut and open them approximately along their upper central lines.

`sponding in number to the splitting-blades.

Itis xed to a cross-bar 21. a

The'distance between proximate. flanges 7 will in practice be varied to suit the material which the machine is' designed to act upon, and in considering such distance and the average size of stalks'the stalk-joints will be 55 regarded and also the usual small departure in solid stalksfrom al straight longitudinal line.

The separating of the 'splitpartsof a stalk under the action of a blade and the spreadingeffect'of the latter in the elastic woody 6o material tend to prevent vcutting across the grain, so that an approximately central initial opening of the upper side of the stalk is A produced.

11 denotes a roller provided with stalk- 65 opening or stalk-fiattening faces 12, corre- It coperates with rollers 3 and 13 to open the split stalks and flatten them, leaving the wood in a layer above andthe ber below. 7o

The split, opened, and viattened stalks are broken across the upper edge of block 14 by M the blades carried by the endless belt 36, which blades also scrape'off the wood. The pins 16 comb the material as it descends along the proximate face of a working bed 27'. Y 18 denotes concavities in the blades to temporarily receive refuse in front of the teeth. 17 denotes brushes situated intermediate the scraping-blades provided with the pins.

19 denotes a scraping-plate and guide to direct the material away from roller 11. This has curved parts 19X, (see Fig. 6,) corresponding to the stalk-opening faces 12 of roller 11. v

2O denotes a scutching-blade adapted to be reciprocated to cause its edges 22 to act on the material diverted by the plate 19 between the bar 21 and the block 14. In the present instance the scutching-blade plays in a-slot` in the bar 2l and contiguous the block 14, the upper edge of which supports the flat-` tened stalks, which/have beeddeiiectedv-by the inclined surface of plate' 19. The devices, including rollers 25, which act on the-mate- 95 rial after it passes this support, pull it over said support in manner to break and separate the wood. It is not essential that bar 21 and block 14-be' formed of separate pieces.

f Aty 23' is pivotally supported a working. bed roc 27, curved to correspond to the path of the tools carried by the belt 36. Said bed may be held to its work in any suitable manner, as by springs 24, between the bed and frame.

25 denotes rollers, which conduct the material from the delivery end of the bed 27 to the path of blades 26, carried by an endless belt 29.

30 denotes a pivoted plate coperating with the endless belt 29 and its blades to remove fine refuse from the ber, and 28 are rollers to draw the material out of the machine. The plate 30 may be held to its work by a spring, as indicated.

38 denotes screw-bolts for adjusting the bearings of various rollers. Said screws may engage a block, such as indicated at 32, behind the journal-bearing block, the parts being of known construction.

The material is acted upon by the various mechanisms in continuous manner to avoid the straying of ber, the Wrapping of the shafts, and the production of tow.

The iianges 7 of roller 8 extend into the grooves in the belt and below its main upper surface. This construction prevents the lateral straying of the material or of any smaller parts thereof. The adjustability of the beltroller et provides for producing a more or less close contact of said iianges with the bottoni of the grooves.

The splitting and opening of stalks by the means and in the manner described places the wood above the fiber, whereby the wood after the material has been scntched by blade 2O is directly exposed to the tools carried by the endless belt 36. These and other operations and advantages are obvious from the description and drawings and need not be more fully set forth herein.

Mechanical variations in parts of the machine not substantially affecting its principles of operation and construction may be made, and it willbe understood that usual adjuncts of such machines known to those skilled in the art can be supplied in the customary manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machine for separating fiber, the combination of the several blades to split each one side of a stalk, an endless feeding-belt, a stalk supporting and guiding roller coacting with the belt and having grooves embracing each a stalk and holding them against the "transverse action of the knives, and the iiattening and breaking rollers situated in proximity to the 'biades A 2. In a machine for separating the fiber of plants, the combination of a grooved feedingbelt, and a roller having annular guides registering with the belt-grooves.

3. In a machine for separating the fiber of plants, the combination of a stalk-feeding device, a blade to split a stalk, and astalk-support, the operative edge of the blade being supported out of contact with the stalk-support to avoid splitting both sides of said stalk.

4. In a machine for separating the iiber of plants, the combination of a stalk-feedingdevice, a plurality of blades, a stalk-support, devices for separating the stalks and guiding them individually under the several blades.

5. In a machine for separating the ber of plants, the combination of a stalkfeeding device, a plurality of blades, a stalk-support, devices for separating the stalks and guiding them individually under the several blades, a stalk opening and attening roller having operative faces corresponding in number and plane of rotation with the blades, and a roller coperating with said stalk-opening roller.

G. In a machine for separating the ber of plants, the combination of stalk splitting and opening devices, a block having a working bed, Wood and fiber separating blades, pins to follow the blades, and brushes to follow the pins, said splitting and opening devices being adapted to present the Woody side of stalks to said blades, pins and brushes to separate the wood.

7. In a machine for separating the fiber of plants, the combination of the wood and fiber separating blades, a block having a Working bed, means for presenting the woody side of stalks to said blades to separate the wood, pins to follow the blades, and brushes to follow the pins, both devices acting on the material, the pins of said blades being arranged to travel in laterally-alternating paths to straighten and open the material preparatory to the action of the brushes.

8. In a machine for separating the fiber of plants, the combination of coacting rollers, a block having a working bed conformed to one of the rollers and extending to near their approximate lines, a reciprocating scutcher, a hinged plate to receive the fiber from said scutcher, and a tool-carrying belt coacting with the bed.

9. In a machine for separating the iiber of plants, in combination with a Working bed, the Wood-separating blades carrying combingpins iixed thereto behind the edges of the blades.

10. In a machine for separating the ber of plants, in combination with a working bed, the Wood-separating blades carrying combing-pins fixed thereto behind the edges of the blades, said blades being concave between said edges, and pins to provide receptacles for fine refuse combed out by the pins.

11. The combination of a scutching device, an endless belt carrying tools adjacent the scutcher, a bed to coact with said tools, a second endless belt carrying blades, a bed coacting with the blades and devices intermediate the belts to convey the material from one to the other.

12. The combination of a scutching device, an endless belt carrying tools adjacent the IOC) IOS

IIO

scutoher, a bed to eoaotwth said tools, a seo- In testimony whereof I have signed this ond endless belt carrying blades, a bed eoaetspecification in the presence of two subscribing with the blades and devices intermediate ing Witnesses. Y

the belts to convey the material from one to SAMUEL B. ALLISON. the other, the tools and blades being arranged Witnesses:

and adapted to act upon the same eide of the J. W. POINDEXTER,

material. BENJ. RL 'CATLIN. 

